Cleaning Products

LucieMarie

I'm sorry if this is a repeat post, but I haven't posted on here in ages and for some reason I can't scroll down to see if anyones asked recently. 

I'm trying to not only go completely green but also use safer products in the house for my son and pets.

I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations for cleaning products that actually work and that don't cost an arm an a leg.  I haven't been too happy with seventh Generation, and we use Mrs.Meyers dish soap but that too is a little pricey.  I wanted to do that Melaleuca stuff but apparently you have to join their pricey cult to get the stuff!  I'm looking for good laundry soap and softener, kitchen cleaner and disinfectant, dish washer soap, tile and grout cleaner and the basics. 

Any suggestions would be great.

MissyOlivePants

Many of us use a mixture of vinegar, water & essential oils (I like tea tree oil). It's EXTREMELY affordable!

luvlieK

baking soda and vinegar go a long way

I love Bac-Out

Crunchy Clean detergent. ?(www.crunchyclean.com)

Method or other plant based sofetner and wool dryer balls (?tina120981.etsy.com) ?

You can use vinegar instead of a softner as well.

?

triumphantreturnofplanningbug

I have yet to find a good dishwasher soap I love, but Trader Joe's hasn't been too bad.  Lots of women here will suggest using vinegar or Dr. Bronner's for just about everything, and there's a great website guide for vinegar.  Hopefully someone can give you that link, 'cause I can't think of it. Other products I like:

Laundry soap: Crunchy Clean

Fabric softener: vinegar

Kitchen disinfectant: Shaklee Basic Germicide

Tile and Grout Cleaner: baking soda paste left on for 3 minutes, followed by hot vinegar.  CLR is supposedly not too bad for the environment either.

All purpose: 50/50 vinegar/hot water solution with essential oil added for better smell

mdmquinn

i use vinegar, baking soda, and dr bonner's for most things. i like ecover tablets for the dishwasher. dr bonner's is about $13 for a big bottle and it goes a long way.

luvlieK

Dishwasher soap, Ecover tabs

Biokleen liquid for handwashing?

squeakytaco

Below is what we use for all purpose spray.

I use vinegar, baking soda, borax, and baking soda for everything else pretty much.  We use baking soda mixed with dishsoap to make a scrubby (soft-scrub like) to scrub the bathtub, and baking soda & vinegar to clean the toilet.

The all purpose spray below is what we use for counter tops, spills on the floors, bathrooms ....

 

This is an awesome all-purpose spray recipe -from the book Gorgeously Green.

Gorgeously Green All-Purpose Spray Recipe

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As most conventional all-purpose sprays are made up of a concoction of potentially hazardous chemicals, I have chosen to make my own. It is ridiculously easy to make and I have two or three large spray bottles on the go, all the time. It's brilliantly effective at cutting grease, germs, and grime; it smells wonderful and will save you a lot of money. You can use this spray on just about everything: fridge, countertops, walls, doorknobs (for germs), toilet seats, sinks, and so on.

Ingredients
32-ounce plastic spray bottle
2 cups water
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar I teaspoon pure castile soap (peppermint is my favorite)
3/4 cup hydrogen peroxide
20 drops tea tree oil
20 drops of lavender or lemongrass essential oil

Simply fill a large 32-ounce plastic spray bottle with the water. Add the vinegar, castile soap, hydrogen peroxide, tea tree oil, and lavender or lemongrass essential oil. Lavender is lovely for the bathroom spray and lemongrass for the kitchen, so make two separate bottles at the same time. In the hot summer months, I add about 10 drops of citronella essential oil to the spray, as it is an excellent insect repellent.

This spray is suitable for acrylic, ceramic tile, wood, marble, and granite.

 

 

 

orchid rain

I love Crunchy Clean detergent!

I just started using the 2am Miracle by Better Life.  It's a nursery cleaner that is made up of mostly sugar/amino acids and water so it's safe and non toxic.  I use it to clean all of my son's toys, etc. So far I like it, but I haven't had to clean really dirty stuff with it, so I'm not sure how effective it is for the tough stuff. 

suizie_q

Holy Cow..it is a bit hard to find but hands down the best line of cleaners I have ever used.